Resorts must be feeling the pinch

tyrolean_skier · Post by **tyrolean_skier** » Jan 3rd, '07, 23:29

Heard a commercial for Okemo on the radio tonight and just now I saw a commercial for Sugarbush during the news report.

skiadikt · Post by **skiadikt** » Jan 3rd, '07, 23:43

yeah i heard commercials for hunter & windham today both trumpeting their snowmaking capabilities.

it's probably the limited terrain but killington seemed to do pretty well during the holiday week.

Killington Koyote · Post by **Killington Koyote** » Jan 3rd, '07, 23:43

heard the same in CT for Ski Windham

Atomic1 · Post by **Atomic1** » Jan 4th, '07, 00:55

I noticed mostly NO VACANCY signs as I drove past the ..Hotels/Motels w/color TV... this past week.

swiftskier · Post by **swiftskier** » Jan 4th, '07, 06:52

Most ski related advertising comes now. Wa-wa was on the airwaves yesterday. There'ld be signs of a pinch if the advertising wasn't there.

lifeisgood · Post by **lifeisgood** » Jan 4th, '07, 07:37

I heard an advertisement for Killington on the radio (WABC 770 AM) yesterday morning going to work. I don't think I have ever heard a Killington ad before, though I have heard them for other resorts.

HelmetCam · Post by **HelmetCam** » Jan 4th, '07, 07:55

My Sports Illustrated issue this week has a full page add for Killington. Center of issue, right hand page.

BoozeTan · Post by **BoozeTan** » Jan 4th, '07, 08:08

My latest issue of Snowboarder has a full page ad for Killingtons Bear Mountain...the easts biggest terrain park.....anybody else see a problem?

swiftskier · Post by **swiftskier** » Jan 4th, '07, 08:11

lifeisgood wrote:I heard an advertisement for Killington on the radio (WABC 770 AM) yesterday morning going to work. I don't think I have ever heard a Killington ad before, though I have heard them for other resorts.

Killington is advertised in the N.Y. metro area more than any other resort from what I've been told.

BoozeTan wrote:My latest issue of Snowboarder has a full page ad for Killingtons Bear Mountain...the easts biggest terrain park.....anybody else see a problem?

ASKI has decided that Boarders are their future at Killington. They see growth in their profits in these punk, kamakazi, blitz kids. It's a runaway train headed for a serious wreck if they don't get the snow. The trouble with this industry would be that no matter what the conditions are slopeside, they need snow in the streets to attract their >>bread and butter<< profit customers. Snow is the best advertising for them. It doesn't cost a dime.

RobC · Post by **RobC** » Jan 4th, '07, 08:45

I saw an add for a small resort in PA, touting the same but they are closed entirely. I guess the Ullr bonfire sacrifice and plan to drop bags of ice in the snowmaking pond are not quite paying off.

XtremeJibber2001 · Post by **XtremeJibber2001** » Jan 4th, '07, 09:34

RobC wrote:I saw an add for a small resort in PA, touting the same but they are closed entirely. I guess the Ullr bonfire sacrifice and plan to drop bags of ice in the snowmaking pond are not quite paying off.

Blue is still open believe it or not! They've been making snow every night over the last week. They may just make it through this weekend!

They're charging full price for lift tickets, so they won't see my skiing there.

Post by **Bubba** » Jan 4th, '07, 09:40

The pinch is being felt here. No OT allowed and international employees are limited to fewer hours which, in a way, protects all the internationals and spreads the work around.

Edit: It's not just internationals, it's all full time seasonal employees who are limited in their hours.

Bling Skier · Post by **Bling Skier** » Jan 4th, '07, 11:01

Gee,
I often stay up all night pondering the Fact that it is WINTER and mabey, just mabey THAT is why there are Adds for ski areas in various media outlets....DUUUUUUUUUUUUH!

rogman · Post by **rogman** » Jan 4th, '07, 11:24

Today's (Jan 4th) Boston Globe wrote:A savior of the industry this year is not just snowmaking, but a state-of-the-art system that uses Low E guns. According to Chip Carey, senior vice president of American Skiing Company, owners of six eastern areas -- Killington, Pico, Mt. Snow, Attitash, Sugarloaf, and Sunday River -- the Low E guns are energy-saving and efficient in higher temperatures.

"The guns make snow with 40 percent less energy," said Carey, who grew up in New Hampshire, and ski raced and played football for the University of New Hampshire before landing at Maine's Sugarloaf as marketing director. "But they also make so much snow so fast that once we get even a small window of cold temperatures, we can cover a trail that used to take days."

One such run at Sugarloaf is the 2-mile Tote Road, a favorite intermediate cruiser. Carey said that in years of sparse snowfall, especially early in the season, it takes several days to make enough snow to cover Tote Road, doing it in sections.

"But this year we were able to line up the guns and in 48 hours cover the whole trail at one time," he said.

Bottom line after the first big period of the season? "I'm not going to tell you it was spectacular, but we did better than expected," Carey said.

He also stands by an adage that comes deep from his New England roots. "Oh, don't worry, it'll snow. I've seen plenty of years when it started like this, then we got buried. Mother Nature loves averages."

Story in today's Boston Globe. Nothing new in the article. The other areas quoted, WaWa and Cranmore, are both doing better than expected given the circumstances.

Jeff Crowley, President of Wachusett Mt (same article) wrote:"Well, thank God for all the improvement in snowmaking technology, or this year there wouldn't be any skiing at all," he said. "[Tuesday] morning I took a few runs, and though there isn't a lot of terrain open, I was pleasantly surprised. The skiing wasn't that bad."

skifaster · Post by **skifaster** » Jan 4th, '07, 11:30

Regardless of Ads on the Radio and in print, Skier visits are way down.
The smaller areas, Burke, Ascutney, Suicide, Bromley etc, they will be hurting the most. As in this years case, when its a tough start to the year you go to where the snow can be made in heaps.
K has a powerful snowmaking system, much more than a small area.
K will get the big crowds until more terrain opens, which will coincide with other areas opening more terrain and people spreading out their visits back to other mtns.
The obvious, we need snow...